Coedwigyr U.C.N.W. 1960 - 1964
Hamish Kimmins' contribution to the understanding of forest ecosystems will last long after his death earlier this year. He gained world-wide recognition for his research that led to an appreciation of the dynamics of change that occurs in a forest throughout its existence and that the application of this knowledge can result in forest sustainability.
His career was launched in Bangor, then U.C.N.W, and its College of Forestry from 1960 to 1964 when he graduated with First Class Honours. Born in Jerusalem, raised and educated in Ashbourne, Derbs., he came to Bangor with an energy that impacted his colleagues and professors and this energy for study, practical experience and travel helped set up guideposts for his fellow foresters faced with changing career outlooks.
There were fewer than twenty students accepted into Forestry in 1960 following a stringent interview process by the faculty. The main agent of change was the expansion of the Commonwealth: the subsequent placement of qualified graduates from East and West Africa and India replaced the contract jobs previously held by UK foresters.
Hamish's attitude was to accept that the ethos underlying the curriculum was changing but to be proactive about it. He was brave in action and intellect. At the end of his first year, while many of us took summer jobs in pubs, woods and farms, he set out to New Brunswick, Canada, worked in the forests for a month then travelled across the United States by bus for another month visiting National Parks and connecting with Forestry departments in Universities on the way. His excitement about post-graduate opportunities in forest research in America encouraged many in the Class of 1964 to apply for scholarships there as an alternative to applying for the paucity of jobs in the UK.
As degree-granting institutes go, Bangor was small but rich in the opportunities offered by extramural activities. Clubs, whether they were Sports or Science, Political or Performance welcomed all newcomers. It was a vibrant social scene that rewarded participation with an enriching education beyond the lecture halls and laboratories. Hamish's energies were consequently released as a powerful rower in UCNW's Rowing Club for which he received his Colours; a member of Student Council; a rambler and climber in Snowdonia who would wrap up his day on Tryfan by slaloming down the A55 on his Triumph 250 bike, and as a remarkably disjointed dancer at the Saturday night trad jazz dances in PJ Hall.
In his final year his application for graduate studies on scholarship at the Univ. of California, Berkely had been accepted and he wasted no time in marrying his Derbyshire love Ann and sweeping her off to the West Coast.
After completing his Master's degree he was accepted to Yale where his doctorate was completed and he received an offer of an Assistant Professorship which returned him to the West Coast at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He was among the first to apply computer modelling to the complex activities of a forest ecosystem, a work that is still continuing. It was his vision that the world's forests could be sustained and not diminished and that an understanding of how forest ecosystems work would provide a scientific base to improve forest management and conservation decisions.
While his research data hummed through the computer programmes at UBC he mentored many graduate students in Forest Ecology. He never lost his fascination with finding out the contributions of seemingly insignificant small plants and animals to the forest biome. He was a prodigious identifier of the mosses, lichens, ferns and fungi occupying the small areas beneath the towering tree canopy. Any hike through the forests with Hamish was an informative, good-humoured introduction to Forest Ecology 101. Anyone who took one of those forest hikes with him was enlightened and privileged.
His contributions to Forest Ecology in both Canada and internationally were recognized in his appointment to the Order of Canada in 2014. His Induction statement reads:
Hamish Kimmins has influenced the practice of forestry in Canada. Over four decades, as a professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia, he challenged industry professionals to apply the best scientific understanding of the dynamics of forest ecosystems in their interactions with forests. He also authored the core academic text in his field and developed modelling software used to analyze forest growth. His research, lectures and advocacy have enhanced environmental stewardship in forest management and improved the sustainability of our forest resources
He was a loving husband to Annie for 57 years, father of two sons, grandfather to 5, and loyal friend to his classmates for 60 years. Family, friendships, a successful and rewarding career: it doesn't get much better than that and Bangor was the catalyst that brought the good times about.